Andrew Dickens: My thoughts on Adrian Orr calling it quits

So, Adrian Orr is gone in a month. And he’ll probably breathe a sigh of relief.  He’s been at the centre of public scrutiny ever since he got the job as NZ Super Fund CEO back in 2007.  During his tenure as Reserve Bank Governor, he was damned no matter what he did because with every move there were victims who felt punished in the pocketbook.   So, everyone has an opinion of Adrian Orr, and most are not that complimentary. Who needs that? He’s 63 and wealthy and I’m sure keen to return to anonymity.   So, was he as bad as many say? At the Super Fund he was generally hailed as a good operator who increased our savings. But he was also vilified for taking a million-dollar salary - a sum that was well below equivalent private positions.   Was he stupid? No. He’s got an impressive CV. There’ve been stints in Paris at the OECD then back here with the National Bank, the Reserve Bank, Westpac, and the Reserve Bank again, before landing the CEO job for the super fund in 2007 and then Reserve Bank Governor.   If I have one criticism of Adrian Orr it’s his lack of confidence in New Zealanders.   When the pandemic started, he made money virtually free believing the economy would collapse.  It didn’t because Kiwis found a way.  And the flood of money fuelled the fire of inflation combined with a government drunk on spending.   When inflation raged, he reacted in an orthodox way by raising the interest rates.   But he didn’t figure on a government that then turned the Government spending tap off turning his big stick for the economy into a sledgehammer.   Our macroeconomic policies have reeled from feast to famine over the past 5 years. It’s certainly time for stability and conservative policies.   So Adrian, after getting the ship headed towards a stable path has called it a day.   I wish him and his family all the best and I hope he enjoys the peace, and I hope I never hear about him again. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.